Pamela Porter’s bail frozen by Crown

MONTREAL — The Crown prosecutor in the case against Pamela Porter has obtained an order to freeze the quarter million dollars she posted in bail last year as the money allegedly represents the proceeds of a crime. Pamela Porter posted $250,000 bail to earn her freedom after she was extradited from a Panamanian jail in June 2013.

Pamela Porter, centre, wife of Dr. Arthur Porter, arrives at SQ headquarters with family in Montreal, Wednesday, September 3, 2014. She turned herself into police before Crown prosecutors began proceedings to revoke her bail. (Phil Carpenter / THE GAZETTE)Phil Carpenter / The Gazette

Imprisoned former MUHC director Arthur Porter has lashed out in his blog against prosecutors for revoking his wife’s bail because the money was allegedly derived from the proceeds of a crime.

“The authorities have now independently made the claim that a small amount of the monies used for Pamela’s bail may have come from funds accused of being illegitimate but have not yet been proven so,” Porter wrote from La Joya, Panama’s most notorious prison, where he has been fighting extradition since his arrest in May 2013.

“Is this really justice? Is this really fair? Is this what Quebec and Canada are all about?” Porter asked in the jailhouse blog, which can be found at http://bit.ly/1lG4vxL

He insisted his wife is innocent and had no knowledge of or involvement in his business affairs.

The “only thing she is guilty of is being my wife, bringing up our wonderful children, managing the home, and supporting her husband. For that, she is now in prison in a foreign country, stripped of her resources, awaiting a trial that may be scheduled in 2016!” wrote Porter, who described Pamela as a traditional wife who tended home and hearth in the Bahamas and never moved to Canada despite his job here.

On Friday, the Crown obtained an order to freeze $250,000 Pamela Porter posted in bail last year after she was extradited from a Panamanian jail in June 2013.

A statement from UPAC, the provincial anti-corruption squad, announced the funds had been frozen because investigators had ascertained the funds were the proceeds of the alleged kickback of $22.5 million paid to her husband and other executives responsible for awarding a $1.3-billion contract to SNC-Lavalin to build the new MUHC superhospital.

On Wednesday, Pamela Porter surrendered to police before the bail was revoked.

When she appeared in Quebec Superior Court, a new charge was added to the others: that between Jan. 1, 2013, and Sept. 2, 2014, she “used, transferred, sent, delivered, transported, altered, disposed of or dealt with” the proceeds of a crime, referring to the $250,000 used to pay her bail.

Pamela Porter remains in detention and her next court date is set for Sept. 15.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.